Quality control of bean sprout starts from proper seed selection. Proper seed selection means to choose seeds of pure quality, healthy and diseases face, such that the grown up sprout can be bountiful. Most important, the sprout would be root-short, stem-big, taste-good, strong and have good appearance and can last long time storage, proper cultivating technique and processing skill are also very important.
Nowadays computer controlled automatic bean sprout production process almost replace traditional production means of manual spraying in water pail cultivating or wooden pail cultivating method. Conventional bean sprout production procedures include initial steps of seed selection, sifting, water-stepping, then proceed cultivating procedures of budding and growing. After the sprout is fully grown, it is harvested. Then the processes of hulling, root-cutting, cleansing and packaging are performed to complete the whole process.
Conventional sprout hulling and root-cutting processes usually has a water through to contain sprout. Flowing water and rotary dram are used to carry sprout in the water. Most beam hulls sink at the bottom of water through; some would float on water surface. A filter is employed to collect and discharge bean hull and to separate sprout from hull. During sprout being carried in water flow, a rotary rake is used to chop off the root of sprout. However conventional processes set forth above cannot perform hulling and root-cutting function with satisfactory results. Furthermore it is labor intensive, and consume much water and electric power, and result in energy waste. In addition, when sprout being carried in water flow, the sprout easily get spoiled and cannot sustain long storage time.